


That Fateful Morning

by redcrownroses



Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games), Red Dead Redemption 2
Genre: Angst, Death, F/M, Grief/Mourning, Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Suicide, but i love the ripe pain and agony sometimes, i'm sad again
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-13
Updated: 2019-09-13
Packaged: 2020-10-17 10:56:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20619887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redcrownroses/pseuds/redcrownroses
Summary: You and Arthur become parents. After the thrills and joys of the baby’s arrival the failed Blackwater heist occurs. Forced to flee into the mountains subsequently, you and Arthur are struck by tragedy on a fateful morning in Colter.





	That Fateful Morning

**Author's Note:**

> So I wrote this piece based on Rockstar’s scrapped idea of Arthur’s baby freezing in Colter. After hearing Roger mention it I knew I had to do it. Gotta love the angst but there’s also some fluff, had to balance it a little bit. But yes mostly just ANGST. I went ahead and named the baby Isaac so Arthur didn’t have an affair with Eliza in this one shot. Hope you enjoy!

You and Arthur have been together for a little over a year now. The love between you both blossomed rapidly ever since you confessed your feelings. When one thing led to another you found that you were pregnant. You were scared to say the least. 

But Arthur. He was so supportive the moment he found out about the news. He had always made you feel loved and protected but this time it was like a whole different level. You were going to have his baby so this was a big game changer for the both of you. You knew then that this was the man you wanted to stay with for the rest of your life.

Arthur had proposed to you shortly afterwards and Swanson officiated the small ceremony by a beautiful lake.

As you grew bigger Arthur’s coddling towards you increased. 

By the time you were ready to pop the gang was already stationed by Blackwater. After a week there you gave birth to a beautiful and healthy baby boy. He had your eyes and lips, but he had his father’s hair, nose, and eyelashes. You never grew tired of watching him, and you just felt this immense love towards him. He was further proof of the deep love you and Arthur shared. You still couldn’t believe you two were parents now. The day Isaac was born was one of the happiest days of your life, aside from your wedding day of course. His arrival completely changed everything, and now more than ever did you want to leave and lead a normal life.

Arthur never left camp in the next couple of days, not even when Dutch asked. It wasn’t until you told him it was okay to go and help Hosea with a job opportunity they both came up with. Naturally he had protested and told you someone else could replace him and go with Hosea instead.

Isaac was already a week old by then. As much as you enjoyed the sight of Arthur cradling the little bundle and watching as your son held his father’s finger, you also knew he couldn't stay with you two any longer. The promises of leaving the outlaw life and finally settling in a homestead had you practically kicking him out of the tent. 

“Go and secure your son’s future.” You had told him with a playful stern look.

“The both of yours, love.” He had replied with the sweetest of smiles he had ever smiled and then kissed you softly before kissing his son’s forehead. 

A week after finalizing the plans he and Hosea had set off. Dutch and the others had a plan of their own that would bring in a huge sum of cash if all went according to plan. Only it didn’t.

You had been tending to Isaac, feeding him in your tent, when you heard the thundering hooves approaching in the distance. A few shouts ensued and you could hear them saying something about Pinkertons. Your heart plummeted and you quickly went to peek out of the tent. 

Miss Grimshaw was rushing towards your tent, yelling the Pinkertons were coming and to hurry and pack whatever you could. Your eyes widened and you went back in, setting Isaac down onto the crib to which he immediately began to protest and cry. You went to grab whatever you could, mostly Isaac’s things, and stuffed them in a big satchel bag. You had hoped Arthur was back by then. There was so much in the tent, you tried to pack the essentials but it was difficult.

After you were done, you slung the heavy bag over your shoulder and took Isaac from his crib. He was still crying but you tried to calm him with some quick rounds of soft pats on his back as you quickly exited. 

You found most of the camp packed up and ready to leave. Everyone was shouting and running around frantically. That and the combined squalling of your son had you frozen in place, weighed down with stress. You didn’t know where to go to or what to do anymore as you cradled your son, cupping his head against your shoulder as you tried to cease his crying.

Then you heard Arthur. He was barreling towards you and you rushed towards him. With a hand on the baby’s back and the other on your arm, he told you to get on the wagon with the girls and that he’ll take care of the rest. You simply nodded in response, a grim expression on your face. He took the satchel from you and quickly kissed Isaac and you on the head.

—🌹—

The freezing wind nipped at your face around your eyes. You had a scarf tightly secured around your head and covering half of your face but the cold still managed to seep through. You looked down at Isaac, who was currently tucked away in your two thick coats. A blanket that you draped over your shoulder had his little face covered from the cold wind and you lifted it up to peek at him. You had wrapped about three blankets around him when you reached the snowy mountains, but he was still shivering and crying so you placed him inside your coats. It seemed to have helped as he was sleeping soundly now. 

That Blackwater heist was a mess. And now you were all running away, some members missing and others dead. You cried when you saw Jenny’s corpse and hearing about Sean being captured only made you feel worse. As for the Callander boys, you still felt bad about their situation even if they were a pair of vicious bastards.

It wasn’t supposed to end this way. The money that should have successfully been brought in was going to be enough to renounce this outlaw life. You were going to live a normal and happy life with Isaac and Arthur. You two had stayed up many nights talking about that future. 

As you looked down at your sleeping son, you couldn’t help but weep quietly as you sat at the back of the wagon. You leaned down and placed a soft kiss on his exposed cheek. “I’m so sorry,” you whispered and cradled him as you fixed the blanket around his small head before covering him with the other blanket that draped your shoulder. He had no business being up here in this freezing weather and you worried he might fall ill. 

It was then that Dutch announced you would all be staying at an abandoned mining town called Colter after Arthur told him about it when scouting ahead.

You heaved a sigh of relief at that, finally able to achieve a sense of security after riding for hours. When you all finally arrived, Arthur was already at the back of the wagon. He carefully helped you down before Dutch pulled him away to scout for some supplies. He pecked you on the lips before planting a kiss on Isaac’s nose, the act causing him to wrinkle his nose, no doubt that Arthur’s mustache had tickled him. You smiled and said goodbye one last time before entering one of the rundown cabins with the others.

By the time Arthur came back Miss Grimshaw had placed you in a room where your small family would be sharing together. It would have been nice if it weren’t for the weather conditions. You hated it to say the least.

Hosea had set up the fireplace in the main room of the cabin and you were currently sitting in front of it, trying to warm up Isaac who was shivering earlier in the freezing side room. The temperature seemed to have dropped significantly since arriving and you were sure it was at zero degrees now. 

Arthur came up behind you and wrapped his arms around you, placing his hands on the small bundle before you. You smiled as he kissed your temple. 

“How are you, Mrs. Morgan.” 

Your smile stretched wider; he knew how much you enjoyed him calling you that. “Much better now that you're here.”

He smiled and gently took Isaac from you. “Good. But you should go to bed now, it's late. You’re supposed to be resting still.”

You sighed. “I know. I just couldn’t stay in there, aside from freezing I was worried about you.”

He looked down at you as he cradled the baby’s head. “I’m sorry about all this.”

“It ain’t your fault.”

His eyes flickered towards Isaac’s sleeping form before offering you his hand and leading you inside the room. After getting ready for the night you two climbed into bed. You laid next to the wall as Arthur placed the baby between you two. He made a few noises, getting ready to cry, but Arthur nuzzled him to his chest, cooing at him which reduced him to gurgling noises. You smiled at that sweet sight.

“Goodnight darlin’,” Arthur whispered.

“Goodnight love,” you whispered back.

Despite the layers of blankets covering you and the transferring body heat to one another the room was just too cold. You couldn’t sleep much that night as you shivered. 

When the first sign of light began to enter the small room, you heard Arthur slipping out of bed and putting his boots back on. You were too tired to open your eyes, let alone say anything, so you let him leave to do his business. 

You cuddled Isaac, hoping that he wasn't too cold now that Arthur had left. You fell back asleep and woke up at the usual time when Isaac began to fuss because of hunger.

Only he wasn’t fussing this time.

You thought it was strange and you lifted your head to take a look at him but what you saw had you shooting up from bed and swiftly taking him in your arms. His face had turned a light shade of blue and though he appeared to be sleeping your instincts were telling you otherwise.

“Isaac.” You choked out as you tried to look for a sign,  _ anything _ , that indicated he was still alive. You couldn’t find any. “No, no, no, no.” You frantically propped him on your thighs and leaned down to check if you could hear him breathing. 

But he wasn’t.

You let out a strangled sob as you brought him to your chest.  _ Oh my god he’s dead _ . The tears began flowing, your sobs muffled by the blankets covering him. How did this happen? He was fine last night, and you were sure the body heat from you and Arthur’s warmed him up. It felt like a living nightmare.

This time your sobs were louder, and you wailed in agony. You cradled Isaac’s stiff head on your shoulder as you rested your own on his, tears gushing onto his blanket. This wasn’t happening. This couldn’t be. It was  _ beyond _ cruel. Your son, your little angel, was gone. The prospects of watching him growing up, taking his first few steps, calling you and Arthur mama and papa for the first time, Arthur teaching him to ride a horse. All those dreams and hopes, and his precious life, were tragically ripped away. 

You weren’t even aware that he was slowly freezing to death next to you. He didn’t even cry. It was  _ sick _ and  _ twisted _ .

Your cries had startled Hosea and he came barging in immediately. “What happened?” He asked with wide eyes as he looked at you and Isaac in your arms.

“My son! My baby boy!” You sobbed as you kept cradling him. “He’s dead!” You buried your face into his small body and wept loudly.

Hosea looked devastated as you kept crying. “Y/N…” He paused before continuing. “I’ll go check if Arthur is back yet.” 

You didn’t move from your spot. Not even when you heard Arthur outside demanding to be told what was wrong. The door to the room was practically torn off its hinges. There was a wild look in Arthur’s eyes as he rushed towards you. “Y/N what’s the matter?” 

Then that’s when he noticed Isaac. 

You glanced at him through your blurred vision, but it only made your crying worse. You broke out into another choking sob and lowered your head towards Isaac, closing your eyes.

“H-he’s de-ead,” your chest spasmed as you spoke.

Arthur immediately knew the cause, seeing as how his baby lacked his usual rosy colored skin. You couldn’t spare him another glance; you wouldn’t be able to bear seeing the heartbreaking look on his face that you knew he was donning.

You felt his strong arms encircling you as he sat next to you, your weeping continuing. He heaved a deep sigh and stayed silent. It was after a few moments that you finally heard him. At first it was small snivels here and there, but then it gradually grew in volume and he soon broke down into sobs. You never heard him weeping before, and the very deed had you crying even more than you already were. You turned your body towards him and buried your face into his chest, Isaac between you both. 

After a few moments Arthur took Isaac into his arms, looking down at him with an absolute gut-wrenching expression. More tears ensued as he nuzzled into his little face, his chest heaving spasmodically. You wrapped your arms around them and sobbed along with Arthur.

It felt like you both sat there crying for hours on end. The others soon came to give their condolences but were quickly out of the room to give you two space. When everyone was done visiting you went to lie down with Isaac in your arms. Arthur followed suit and took his place at the edge of the bed.

“We gotta prepare for his…” Arthur paused before continuing, his voice quivering. “His funeral.”

You were quiet for a moment. “I don’t wanna bury him in this snow,” you murmured. “I want him to be in a nice place with green grass and flowers.” You rested your head against Isaac’s before bursting out into another round of sobs, cradling him.

“We’ll find him a nice place. I promise,” he practically whispered as he caressed your arm before placing a gentle kiss at the back of Isaac’s small covered head, keeping his lips in that same place afterwards. “I’m sorry,” he whispered against his son’s head before closing his eyes and weeping once again.

The three of you remained huddled up in bed like the night before.

—🌹—

You stood by the small grave marking overlooking a section of the Little Creek River. A sundry of violet, blue, and white flowers adorned the expanse of the land that stretched wide and far. It was beautiful here. Arthur had suggested it and he couldn’t have picked a more perfect spot.

All the women and some of the men, including Swanson who gave a little speech, were present for the burial. Arthur had prepared the plot and detailed grave marking all by himself, having been gone since the early morning. He knew you needed some time on your own though, he knew you too well. So, since yesterday afternoon and up until this morning you’ve been with Isaac in your room.

It was early afternoon now. You went through the hardest part of saying your final goodbyes to Isaac before his makeshift casket was lowered. You were grateful to both Charles and Hosea for helping in creating the little wooden box, even more so now when they were the ones who lowered it into the ground. They were the last ones to leave the small burial site, but you weren’t alone. 

If it weren’t for Arthur holding you at his side you would have collapsed to the ground right then and there. You were still in shock and couldn’t believe that your newborn son was gone. No parent should ever have to bury their child. The pain, the heartache, it was ineffable.

Standing by his final resting place felt so surreal, and you really wished that you were in a realistic nightmare and would soon wake up. 

But most of all, you wanted to die.

You held onto Arthur and rested your head against his broad chest. “Our baby boy,” you choked out. “How are we going to live now?” 

“I don’t know,” he murmured and sniffled. “But we still got each other.”

You cried. 

He was right. You both still had each other, and it made you feel immensely guilty that you wanted nothing but for death to come and snatch you up. It felt so easy thinking about that alternative. Death would end this pain and torment so you wouldn’t have to endure it.

But it wouldn’t be fair to Arthur. You loved him as much as he loved you. If something were to happen to you it would completely destroy him. 

You looked up at him, tears still streaming down your face, but your eyes held the same look from all those times before. Complete adoration and love. “Yes. We still do. And I love you so, so much.”

He cupped your face and leaned down to place a sweet and lingering kiss on your lips. “And I love you more. We’ll get through this. Together.” He pressed his forehead against yours, shutting his eyes as tears rolled down his cheeks. He wrapped you in his arms and cradled you.

“Together.” You repeated firmly as you closed your eyes and hugged him tightly, savoring this moment of consolation.

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on tumblr.


End file.
